Ilanit Malkior, Tourism Manager at the Jerusalem Development Authority, explained that despite the fact that Jerusalem is an important city to three religions, there is still a need to present tourists with an attractive “package” that will get them to visit the city.

“I don’t call it branding, I call it ‘repositioning’,” she said, referring to the work she does. “When you reposition you tell people the story from a different angle. You wrap it in a different angle.”

“Some people think that Jerusalem is made of stone so they’re thinking it keeps people away instead of embracing them,” Malkior added. “That’s something on which we work very hard” to change.

The Jerusalem Development Authority makes use of pictures of people’s faces to present that warmth, she said.

“I think that faces connect people, so that’s very important because Jerusalem connects to religion, to communities. It’s not about indifference. It’s about partnership and cooperation,” said Malkior.